


Periscope

by battleships



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Kind of AU, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-02-12
Updated: 2014-02-12
Packaged: 2018-01-12 02:04:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,161
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1180616
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/battleships/pseuds/battleships
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After a long string of terrible relationships, Danny was perfectly content to stay single for the rest of his life. His friends had other plans, and apparently Lydia and Jackson's wedding was the perfect place to enact those plans.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Periscope

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Planty](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Planty/gifts).



“Lydia, I don’t need you to set me up with anyone!” Danny tried to keep from raising his voice at the end of the sentence, but couldn’t stop himself. He looked around to see if he disturbed anyone in the coffee shop, but Lydia barreled on despite the few patrons sending them annoyed looks.

“When was the last time you had a date?”

“Lydia,” Danny groaned.

She merely smirked, “My point exactly - you always tell me about your dates, good or bad. I’m just worried about you. You’re a professor, you need some stress relief. And I just happen to know a few guys who would be more than happy to help you relieve some of that stress.”

After going through high school with Lydia, Danny knew she always got what she wanted. So, instead of trying to argue more, he merely rolled his eyes and turned to the barista to order his coffee. The girl behind the counter smiled at him but balked a bit at the look in Lydia’s eyes, causing Danny to turn back to her, almost visibly flinching. She was in full scheming mode. He sighed, “Just… don’t go too crazy with this okay? It’ll just be about sex, right?”

“Sure,” she chirped. And… no, that was not her agreeing smile, that was her placating smile.

“I mean it, Lydia. I don’t want a relationship.” Technically that wasn’t true, but it seemed that the only guys he attracted were assholes and he’d rather not go through another heartbreak.

“Of course you don't,” she said patronizingly, a small smirk starting to grow on her lips. Danny eyed her carefully but, noticing the time, grabbed his coffee and headed back towards Beacon Hills University. He’d just have to grill her later. Not that it would really do much. Lydia Martin gets what Lydia Martin wants, no matter who or what is in her way.

In his senior year of college, Danny had finally accepted that he was doomed when it came to relationships. All the guys he dated turned out to be one kind of bad or another. There was the drug dealer in high school, the the guy who was stalking Lydia’s best friend Allison and using Danny to get closer, and all the jerks in between and afterwards. He had great friends and pretty good sex, so he figured it wouldn’t be that bad to be perpetually single. And it wasn’t. Especially after Stiles convinced him to get a dog.

Actually, coerced might be a more accurate term. One of Beacon Hills’ police dogs got injured and went blind in one eye, so he had to be retired and since there wasn’t anyone who could take him in, Stiles got Danny to do it. He knew Danny was a bit of a pushover so he brought Bruce the german shepherd to Danny’s house and made his pitch, while Danny had to watch Bruce make the saddest puppy eyes he’d ever seen - including Scott McCall’s, which are practically legendary amongst his friends.

Stiles hadn’t even managed to get to the guilt-tripping part of the evening before Danny was agreeing. He had been a bit wary about taking on a disabled pet, but Bruce didn’t seem too affected by it; he even managed to jog with Danny in the mornings. So really, he wasn’t even that lonely. Sure, he would slip into the occasional funk where he really wanted human contact, but all Danny had to do during those was make a booty call or go clubbing. On the rare occasions that he needed more than sex, he often found himself calling Stiles. He gave great hugs, and never asked Danny for a reason or judged him.

But of course, Lydia had to go and screw up his system. Probably because she and Jackson were getting married, and it wouldn’t do for their best man to be single at their wedding. Danny didn’t know why she didn’t seem to want him hooking up with someone at the wedding, but he figured he’d humor her, take one of the guys she set him up with. Though he’d have to make sure whoever it was knew it wasn’t serious.

* * *

Two days later, he got a call to meet her at the Blue Moon Bakery, to go over the list of desserts and make sure it was okay. According to Lydia, Danny was the only one in the wedding party who could actually remember which allergies the guests had, but he had already given her a list of all the allergies and which guests had them. Regardless, he agreed to come, having flashbacks to the last time Lydia had a wedding flip out. It had not been pretty.

The Blue Moon Bakery was unusual compared to Lydia and Jackson’s usual taste. It was fairly small, obviously not a well-known place, and the decor was completely made up of wolves and moons. A look at Lydia told him that she was just as displeased with the appearance of the place as he thought she’d be, but after noticing the baked goods on display, it was clear why she had chosen them to make her cake. The pastries were practically works of art.

Tearing his eyes away from the display case, he moved over to where Lydia and Stiles were talking with one of the most attractive men Danny had ever seen. He smiled politely in greeting. “Sorry I’m late, this place was hard to find.”

“Are you the groom?” the curly haired man asked him. If the look Stiles gave him was anything to go by, he’d been asked the same question.

Danny and Stiles burst out laughing before Lydia shot them a withering look. “No, I don’t play for her team,” he replied.

“Oh, okay. I’m Isaac,” he introduced himself for Danny’s benefit, as Lydia seemed to have already met him. “Will the groom be coming today?” His words had a hesitancy to them, as if he was afraid of saying the wrong thing.

“He thinks he’s too good for the ‘stupid planning stuff’ so, no.” Danny and Stiles both winced at Lydia’s tone. Truth be told, it was probably better that Jackson was out of the way, but he was definitely sleeping on the couch for it. “Danny is the best man and Stiles is my bridesman. My maid of honor won’t be here today. She had a work emergency.” Danny still wasn’t sure what it was that Allison did, but somehow it was important enough that Lydia didn’t seem to hold any resentment that she wasn’t there.

Danny sent Isaac an apologetic smile. “So Lydia, what did you need me here for again?”

Thankfully that seemed to ward off the bout of bridezilla that had seemed inevitable. “I need you and Stiles to help me taste some of the options.”

“I’m not sure how you think we can manage such a feat but I’m willing to give it a go,” Stiles said, grinning widely. Danny rolled his eyes but smiled all the same. If the cake options tasted as good as everything else in the bakery looked, they were definitely in for a treat.

He, Lydia, and Stiles settled into a table by the window as Isaac brought them different samples. “Oh my God,” Stiles moaned pornographically as he bit into the fifth sample. Lydia and Danny had been letting him try all of the samples first, partially because Stiles’s reactions were very easy to gauge and they only wanted the best, but also because Stiles had a faster metabolism than both of them.

He slid the plate towards them, and they each took a bite too. “For once, Stiles, you are _not_ exaggerating,” Lydia said, her eyes still closed in bliss. Danny merely nodded lightly in agreement. When he opened his eyes to turn to Isaac, he was a little shocked at the pure excitement written all over the other man’s face.

“I’m really glad you like it,” he said, grinning brightly.

“Like it? It’s fucking heaven!” Lydia looked torn between agreeing with Stiles and chewing him out for talking with his mouth full.

She opted for the latter. “Stiles, for God’s sake you’re twenty-six years old! Chew. Swallow. Speak.”

Stiles obeyed quickly, muttering an apology. Danny laughed lightly at the two, turning back to Isaac who was trying to hide his own laughter. “So Isaac, do you do all the baking here?”

“Oh no, I mostly do cakes and cupcakes, anything with frosting. Cora does the pies and cookies, and Derek does basically everything else.”

“Who are Cora and Derek?”

“They own this place, with their sister Laura.”

“Where are they now?”

“Derek doesn’t like people so he’s probably hiding somewhere and Cora’s in class. She goes to Beacon Hills University.”

“No way! I teach computer science there.” Danny grinned, “Small world, huh?”

Isaac smiled shyly back, and Danny could have sworn he was blushing. “Yeah.”

Of course Lydia took that moment to interrupt. “Well boys, I think I can safely say that,” she pointed to sample five, “is exactly what we wanted. Thank you, Isaac. You’ve been so wonderful.” Stiles and Danny exchanged worried looks as that tone meant only one thing: Lydia was scheming again. Thankfully she didn’t make them worry for too long. As soon as they exited the bakery, she grinned at Danny as they all walked to their cars. “I knew you’d like him.”

“What?”

“Isaac.”

“Lydia, don’t do this.”

“I have absolutely no idea what you’re talking about.”

“Please don’t try to set me up with him.” Danny frowned at her, “You know my track record. If we date, there’s going to be something wrong with him. And going by past experience, it’ll be a deal breaker.”

Lydia stopped completely to simply stare at him. “Fine,” she huffed, before getting into her car and driving away.

“She’s not going to listen, is she?” Danny asked Stiles.

“Have you met Lydia? Of course not. It’s probably for the best anyway, dude,” he smiled, “besides, Isaac seemed like a really nice guy.”

It wasn’t until Danny finally got in his car that he muttered a reply. “They always do.”

* * *

Somewhere around the time that Danny had given up trying to date, he had started to wonder if maybe the problem was actually him. All of the guys he dated had certainly seemed really nice at first. What if _he_ was the reason they turned bad? As soon as those thoughts occurred to him, he knew they needed to stay hidden. If his friends thought he was blaming himself for his string of bad exes, they would have done something drastic, like stage some kind of intervention.

But while he had managed to hide the thoughts well, he had never truly dismissed them. He obviously didn’t think all of them were his fault; it’s hard to turn someone into a drug dealer or a crazy stalker, but the other ones… Maybe there was just something wrong with Danny. So when he saw Isaac - shy, beautiful, talented Isaac - Danny knew he had to stay away. If there was even the slightest hint of truth to his paranoid thoughts, he couldn’t let himself corrupt Isaac.

Unfortunately, Danny’s resistance didn’t seem to deter Lydia at all. Perhaps if he were a better liar he could convince her that he simply wasn’t interested, but his face was far too honest. After that first meeting, Danny was dragged to the bakery anytime Lydia or someone else had to go. Sometimes he would be dragged along simply because Stiles had a craving and didn’t want to go alone, which led him to suspect that Lydia wasn’t the only one trying to set him and Isaac up. The worst part was that Danny couldn’t even manage to school his expression enough to hide his interest in Isaac.

Though as the wedding neared, it seemed that Lydia had forgotten about her promise to set him up. But of course she hadn’t. She just had a better plan in mind.

* * *

Still high off the excitement of seeing his best friend get married, Danny walked into the reception hall, beaming at the newlyweds. He took his seat next to Jackson’s and nearly died of shock when he noticed the nameplate at the seat next to his: _Isaac Lahey_. That had to be a coincidence though, caterers never sat with the wedding party. Plus he didn’t even know the pastry chef’s last name, and Isaac was pretty common. So instead of freaking out, Danny turned to Jackson. “Who’s Isaac?”

“He’s a… friend,” Jackson said, raising Danny’s suspicions again. Never in his life had he seen Jackson so hesitant about what to call someone. “He made the cake!”

“But he’s a guest?”

“Yeah.”

“You made one of your guests make your cake?” Actually, that made sense, with Jackson and Lydia. “Nevermind, of course you did. So, why’s he sitting with us?” Danny decided to deal with the freak out later, first he wanted to find out why everyone seemed to know Isaac and he didn’t.

Jackson’s face made the same expression that it did the first time Lydia had forced him to invite Stiles somewhere. Which meant this was Lydia’s fault. Thankfully, Jackson was saved from more interrogation when Isaac himself showed up, chatting with Stiles in a way that said they had known each other for longer than a few cake tasting sessions.

He smiled at Danny, taking his seat. Danny made a mental note to talk to Lydia about it, but that would obviously have to wait, as it was time for the first dance. Before long, everyone had gotten up to dance, leaving just him and Isaac at the table. “You don’t like to dance?” Danny asked.

“I don’t know how,” Isaac shrugged.

“Oh.” Danny cursed internally; he had been determined _not_ to fall into Lydia’s trap, and yet. “I can show you how.”

That time Isaac definitely blushed a bit, “I’m not sure that’s a good idea.”

Danny simply stood and offered his hand, smiling brightly, “Come on, I’ll lead.” Silently thanking his parents for forcing him to take classical dancing lessons, he pulled Isaac over the the dance floor before leading the taller man in a slow waltz. The steps were simple and Isaac easily fell into them.

The song was over before either of them were really ready, but food was being served and everyone was starving. They made their way back to their seats just in time to see Lydia glare one of her guests into submission so she would be able to eat in peace. Danny snorted softly.

Once everyone had finished eating, there was some more dancing, and then it was time to cut the cake. Danny hoped no one was stupid enough to expect Lydia or Jackson to smear cake on the other, because if so they would be sorely disappointed. When the cake was rolled out, Danny’s eyes widened. “Wow,” he said, turning to Isaac, “I knew you were good, but that is a masterpiece. How did you get into baking?” He didn’t even mean to say the last part, it just slipped out.

Isaac eyed him suspiciously for a second, but brightened upon realizing Danny was genuinely curious. “When I was sixteen I started working for Blue Moon Bakery and I was kind of a mess. So full of anger and… I would take it out on everyone else. Got into fights with the other employees, sometimes even the customers. I made fun of Derek for baking, because I was sixteen and baking is supposed to be girly.” He laughed. “Eventually he said that he did it because it helped calm him; he even offered to teach me. Thought maybe it could help me too.”

“Did it?” Danny wasn’t even sure why he asked, because the boy Isaac described was so clearly nothing like the man sitting next to him.

“Yeah. And then I realized how great it felt to create something that makes people happy. I’ve been doing it ever since.” Danny was speechless. And before he could try to come up with something to say, Isaac continued. “I have a confession,” he said, “That cake tasting wasn’t actually the first time we met. I - uh, we went to high school together.”

Now that he mentioned it, Danny did feel a sense of familiarity. “Oh… I’m sorry I don’t remember you.”

Isaac shook his head, “No, I was pretty quiet back then. Except for when I was getting into fights. Though a few of them were with Jackson.”

Danny laughed, “I was never around for those but that sure sounds like him.”

“Sounds like who?” Jackson asked, returning to the table with a small plate of cake.

“Oh nothing, Isaac was just regaling me with stories of his past,” Danny replied. The waiters distributed cake to the guests as Danny stood up to deliver his best man’s speech. By the time he was done, they had finished and Lydia’s father had readied himself to deliver his speech.

Isaac leaned in, “That was way too nice to Jackson.”

“He’s not _all_ bad,” Danny whispered back, earning both of them a quick glare from Lydia.

There was more dancing after the speeches, and Danny ended up dancing only with Isaac. Not that he was complaining. Isaac was surprisingly graceful for someone who didn’t know how to dance. Danny knew that his resolve to resist Lydia’s scheme had definitely cracked when he found himself staring into Isaac’s eyes during the slow dances, the realization causing him to retreat back to their table to think.

Though almost as soon as he sat down, Stiles was there too, complaining about sore feet. “With the way you’ve been dancing I’m surprised you haven’t seriously injured yourself,” Danny quipped back. They were soon joined by everyone else, all enjoying pleasant conversation. Finally Lydia stood up, gestured at her bouquet, and announced, “Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go start a riot amongst all my single friends.” Danny knew that’d be when people would start to go home, making this his last chance.

As the single girls flocked to attempt to catch the bouquet and some boys left to go take pictures of the ensuing madness, Danny turned to Isaac and kissed him chastely. “Would you like to go out next week?”

“Stiles said you don’t date,” Isaac said, narrowing his eyes slightly.

“I usually don’t.”

“So…?”

“I’m thinking about making an exception.”

Isaac smirked. “On one condition: I’m gonna need a better kiss than that.”

“I think I can do that,” Danny grinned. He gripped Isaac’s tie and used it as leverage to pull the other man closer, sealing their lips together. His hands threaded in Isaac’s curls as Isaac’s fingers found their way into his belt loops. They only parted at the sound of Stiles yelling “Get it, Lahey!” and even then, only to give him the finger.

**Author's Note:**

> This was my assignment for the Mahealahey Valentine's Day fic exchange:  
>  _Preferably like to read anything AU - matchmaker, bakery, teacher - I'm really not fussy. Something fluffy, but I don't mind a bit of angst. But too much. Oh God, please not too much._
> 
> So I kind of decided to do all three. Hope you liked it!
> 
> As always, you can come talk to me on [tumblr](http://chainsandshipsexciteme.tumblr.com/), and a round of thanks to my wonderful beta [Allie](http://hanniballsdeep.tumblr.com/) who screamed at me over Skype for an hour to make sure I would be able to get this in on time. Thanks also for not judging me as I laughed _way_ too hard over the word 'bridesman' and if she did judge me, at least she kept it to herself.
> 
> I'm seriously thinking of making a sequel to this but it'll have to go on my (way too long) list.


End file.
